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David Rivas

David Rivas’ grandfather was not only like a father to him while growing up.

He was also a mentor who guided him and taught him the valuable skills of adaptability, entrepreneurship and showed him the importance of being “educado” (educated).

Rivas puts those life lessons into use and is now studying epidemiology and biostatistics as a master’s student in public health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

He is passionate about understanding how health conditions turn cancerous.

Rivas, a native of California who was raised in Ontario, Calif., is completing a one-year internship with the State of Nevada’s Adult Viral Hepatitis and STD Prevention and Control program as a health research analyst.

He also serves as a laboratory assistant and sampling technician for UNLV’s Airborne Pollen and Mold Monitoring program.

To increase his training, he applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which recruits 25 master’s-level students and professionals for a five-day Summer Institute to promote doctoral degrees and careers studying Latino cancer.